SURCA 2023 judges evaluate posters at the beginning of the annual event.

Judge at SURCA

Who can judge at SURCA?

We invite the following groups of people, whether internal or external to WSU, to sign up to judge our students projects at SURCA:

  • Faculty and post-docs from a post-secondary educational institution.
  • WSU post-candidacy doctoral students. Note that judging training is required; two times on March 21 are available—10 a.m. or 3 p.m. in CUE 518.
    • Note: By “post-candidacy doctoral students,” we mean doctoral graduate students who have passed their preliminary examinations and have the approval of their advisor to serve as a judge at SURCA.
  • Anyone with expertise and work experience from industry, government, non-profit organizations, and other entities outside of WSU.
  • Mentors of students who are presenting at SURCA.
Sign-up to Judge

Without the greatly appreciated volunteering of our judges and the opportunity they provide our students to present their work to an expert, SURCA would not be possible!

Judging Schedule

SURCA 2024 is on the afternoon of March 25.  Judging will take around two hours of time, with periods allowed to review posters without students present and another for talking to your assigned presenters at their posters.

  • In advance of the event: Please review the abstracts submitted by all presenters assigned to you using this year’s searchable presentation list. You will be notified by email as soon as the listing has been posted and is available to you, but you can expect to have access to presenters’ abstracts several days before SURCA.
  • Monday, March 25 (day of SURCA 2024)
    • 1:00-2:00 p.m. You will check-in for SURCA outside of the CUB Senior Ballroom. You will receive your nametag and then be directed to the CUB Junior Ballroom where you can ask questions, pick up other supplies as needed, and enjoy some refreshments.
    • 2:00-4:00* p.m. You will visit each poster assigned to you at least twice in this time period—once before students are in the room and again when they are by their posters. During this timeframe you will also complete and submit your scoring sheets and written feedback forms for presenters. Here’s how this timeframe breaks down:
      • 2:00-2:45 p.m. You will visit your assigned posters but no students will be in the room.
      • 2:45-4:00 p.m.: The venue doors will open promptly at 2:45 and student presenters will enter and wait by their posters for you; you will re-visit each poster to hear student presentations and ask questions. Please budget your time carefully so that, within this period, you can interact in-person with all of your presenters and also complete and log your scores.
      • 3:30-4:45 p.m.: Please note that the public is invited into SURCA during this time, but as a judge, you have priority to talk with your presenters through 4:00 p.m. Please do not be shy about politely but assertively taking charge of the conversation so you can complete any remaining judging on time.
      • 4:00 p.m. All judging ballots must be completed by this time using the RocketJudge app. Note that RocketJudge will remain open until 7:00 p.m. to allow extra time for you to submit thoughtful feedback for presenters.
      • *5:00-5:45 p.m.: Please plan to join presenters, their mentors, and the WSU community for the SURCA Awards Ceremony in CUB Auditorium on the main floor.

What if I Am Located Outside the Pullman Campus?

We are delighted to have you as a judge! SURCA 2024 is an in-person event and you will need to travel to Pullman to attend. We want to do everything we can to make your visit to WSU an enjoyable one and will provide complimentary parking on campus. Please contact ug.research@wsu.edu for information.

Will I Be Judging Posters in My Own Field?

You select your preference for the categories that you wish to judge. We will assign you posters to judge based on your preference, ensuring that you will be judging posters in your own field.

For Reference: SURCA 2023 Abstracts

Each year close to the date when SURCA is held, we post the most current collection of presenters’ abstracts. To get an idea of the kind of projects and research you will be judging at SURCA, you can explore SURCA 2023 abstracts through a searchable online interface.

How Judging Works

  • You will typically be assigned 3-4 presentations to judge. In advance of the event, read about your presenters’ research in the online abstract book. Also, you may review the SURCA judging rubric.
  • For each presentation that you have been assigned, you will provide scores through RocketJudge software. RocketJudge will work on either your computer or cellphone. RocketJudge also allows you to provide your valuable and insightful personal notes and suggestions to presenters directly in the app. Students will not be able to see their individual scores.